Dog knocked over carboy. How ruined is my beer?

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kurds_2408

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So I'm new to this. Just joined the forum a few days ago. I've only brewed two batches. My second batch has been in primary for a week. It was a 3 gallon batch of cream ale. First brew without a kit, kinda my big step into brewing and I was super excited about it.

Anyway I got home from work today and my dog somehow got to my carboy and knocked it over. Didn't do anything else to it though. The airlock stayed on but all the water was gone and at least have of my 3g spilled through it and is now soaked into my carpet. I have no idea how long it sat like that with an empty airlock. and obviously it got shook up when it fell.

I'm confident it's ruined but I'm just wondering should I poor it down the drain or finish it out and have myself a few bottles of a lesson learned in a few weeks? I wash, sanitized, refilled, and replaced the airlock for now.
 
fill the airlock again and let it finish, no point throwing it out unless you need the carboy for something else, worst case scenario, You'll still end up with beer. I'm amazed that the carboy didn't break.
 
You won't gain anything by throwing it out, but you might end up with drinkable beer in the end if you keep it.
 
I would also let it finish out, 7 days in the primary gave it time to ferment quite a bit and there is still yeast in there to possibly finish. You have already spent x amount of time on the beer give it a little more time to see how it tastes.

Good luck
 
kurds_2408 said:
So I'm new to this. Just joined the forum a few days ago. I've only brewed two batches. My second batch has been in primary for a week. It was a 3 gallon batch of cream ale. First brew without a kit, kinda my big step into brewing and I was super excited about it.

Anyway I got home from work today and my dog somehow got to my carboy and knocked it over. Didn't do anything else to it though. The airlock stayed on but all the water was gone and at least have of my 3g spilled through it and is now soaked into my carpet. I have no idea how long it sat like that with an empty airlock. and obviously it got shook up when it fell.

I'm confident it's ruined but I'm just wondering should I poor it down the drain or finish it out and have myself a few bottles of a lesson learned in a few weeks? I wash, sanitized, refilled, and replaced the airlock for now.
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I bet you'll be fine. Don't sweat it.
 
thanks guys. I'll let finish. Just an excuse to do another brew sooner to replace it I guess. Sure made for the best smelling mess I've ever had to clean up.
 
This sounds like a good excuse to start brewing in 5 or 6 gallon carboys.

I triple dog dare that dog to knock over one of those. :cross:
 
davekippen said:
To clean up an airlock mess? Am I missing something?
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It dumped 1.5 gallons into my carpet

E-Mursed said:
This sounds like a good excuse to start brewing in 5 or 6 gallon carboys.
I triple dog dare that dog to knock over one of those. :cross:
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Lol. I'd agree except she's 130lb Great Dane.

SaguaroMan said:
Hair of the Dog? :D

Quickly, before zee Germans get 'ere...
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Hahaha. That's gotta be it. Now I just owe you for the trademark.

Thanks for making me feel better about it guys. :)
 
The carboy might be more stable in a milk crate. I am not sure if it will resist the attentions of your large Dane.

Just wondering how you cleaned that sugary wort out of the carpet.

BTW, since this is your first coupla batches and you have a dog, you may not have read that hops have been poisonous, fatally, to some dogs. This is not an urban legend. They generally avoid the dry hops because of the bitterness. The unfortunate canines got to the hops after they were boiled in the sweet wort, partially masking the bitterness. I dump the hops down the drain IMMEDIATELY after pulling them from the wort.
 
Now here's a new twist on the dog ate my homework.

Next time brew a german beer, perhaps the Dane doesn't like American style beer? Or maybe it likes American beer too much. Was the dog drunk when you got home?
 
You'll wind up with 1.5 gallons of beer, so maybe a 12-pack. If it is good, make that recipe again!

(And I'm sure you've figured this out, but there are lots of reasons to not put the fermenter on the carpet. They can get messy for non-dog related reasons too.)
 
Fortunetly I have a carpet shampooer to clean it up. Still smells like delicious wort it the house though. I don't think she drank any prolly got scared of it when she knocked it over. She's all bark. Lol. I have definitely heard of the dogs and hops thing and I'm being cautious. That's for the milk crate idea. Gonna clear out a spot in the closet from now on and I'll look or a milk crate for double safety. And I'll be sure to let everyone know how it turns out.
 
Well its bottle conditioning now. I ended up with 16 bottles. Hopping they carb right since I didn't know how much beer I had so I had to guess on the sugar. Tasted what was left in the bucket and was delicious. Gonna try my first bottle on Friday and will let you know how it is.
 
Well I tried the hair of the dog tonight. It turned out pretty well. My palate isn't really one that can name specific flavors though. Its both light bodied and light colored. Maybe needs a little more age. I'm pleased with the flavor though. It was a little under carbed so I'm gonna give it more time but not sure if that will help. Not knowing how much dumped out I went safe to prevent bottle bombs and might not have gotten enough sugar. But being my second batch and considering the circumstances I'm very happy. Will try this recipe again.

Now if I can just start charging people to have my dog come knock their beer over and give it that special touch, then I could afford this hobby. :D
 
kurds_2408 said:
Fortunetly I have a carpet shampooer to clean it up. Still smells like delicious wort it the house though. I don't think she drank any prolly got scared of it when she knocked it over. She's all bark. Lol. I have definitely heard of the dogs and hops thing and I'm being cautious. That's for the milk crate idea. Gonna clear out a spot in the closet from now on and I'll look or a milk crate for double safety. And I'll be sure to let everyone know how it turns out.
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I had a doberdane once that would have licked the floor clean. He loved beer more than me. I know now that hops aren't good for dogs. Fortunately he never drank any IPA's. Although he did have a fondness for dark English beers. I would let him drink with me often. Best dog ever. Not to get to off topic, but I could lay a steak down in front of him and tell him to lay down and stay, leave the house and drive to town, come back in half an hour and find him still there laying down in a pool of drool. I always let him have the steak when I returned.
 
Chadwick said:
I had a doberdane once that would have licked the floor clean. He loved beer more than me. I know now that hops aren't good for dogs. Fortunately he never drank any IPA's. Although he did have a fondness for dark English beers. I would let him drink with me often. Best dog ever. Not to get to off topic, but I could lay a steak down in front of him and tell him to lay down and stay, leave the house and drive to town, come back in half an hour and find him still there laying down in a pool of drool. I always let him have the steak when I returned.
Click to expand...


Totally off topic, but never the less, that sounds like an awesome dog.


Glad to hear this turned out fairly well! You could name this brew Dog's Folly or something.
 

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